By .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and Michael Gioia
13 Aug 2013

Jenni Barber

Jenni Barber, who recently concluded her run in Douglas Carter Beane's The Nance, will take over the role of Grace Farrell in the Broadway revival of Annie beginning Aug. 20 at the Palace Theatre.

Barber (The Performers, ...Spelling Bee) will step in for original revival cast member Brynn O'Malley, who is set to star in the upcoming Jason Robert Brown musical Honeymoon in Vegas, which premieres at the Paper Mill Playhouse Sept. 26. Barber will remain with the production through Nov. 3, at which point O'Malley is expected to return to Annie, according to a spokesperson for the production.

The Paper Mill Playhouse production of Honeymoon in Vegas has been billed as a pre-Broadway premiere. Dates of a Broadway run have not been announced.

The cast of Annie currently features Tony Award winner Faith Prince (Guys and Dolls, A Catered Affair) as Miss Hannigan, Australian actor Anthony Warlow as Oliver Warbucks, Clarke Thorell as Rooster Hannigan, J. Elaine Marcos as Lily St. Regis, with Taylor Richardson and Sadie Sink alternating as Annie.

The revival of Annie, directed by James Lapine and choreographed by Tony Award winner Andy Blankenbuehler, opened on Broadway Nov. 8, 2012, at the Palace Theatre.

Annie features a Tony Award-winning book by Thomas Meehan. The original production earned seven Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Score for its 1977 debut starring Andrea McArdle in the title role. The production ran for 2,377 performances and has enjoyed numerous national tours and a 1997 Broadway revival, which went unrecorded.